Reaching All Classes for Jesus
Center of Influence in Indonesia
When Ramon and Shandy Tengkano left their life of luxury to become missionaries, they never imagined that God would send them back as witnesses to their old friends. They poured everything, their time, energy, and resources, into their satellite ministry and traded their fancy house and garage full of cars for a rustic bamboo house on a mountainside far from the city.
The Tengkanos worked that way for several years, and God has used the satellite ministry beautifully to bring people to Christ. Along the way, God taught them many valuable lessons, like how to trust Him with their lives and how to stop relying on money.
Then in 2015-16, God started to reconnect them with their old community through their interest in athletics. They got involved in cycling and running clubs, and as they spent more time together, their friends started to wonder why the Tengkanos were so different from before. Why were they at peace in stressful situations? What made their family happy? They asked these and many other questions.
At first, the Tengkanos had been skeptical about getting involved with their old friends. They had done so much to get away from that lifestyle. Now God was telling them to go back? Eventually, Ramon shared, “We realized that we had become like modern spiritual Jonah.”
“God had sent us to Nineveh in previous years, but my wife and I had no message, so we ran away from them. But God said, ‘Ramon and Shandy, it’s okay for you to love the ignorant, the poor people that are really, really in need of help. It’s good to help them. But do not forget there’s thousands and thousands of people dying every day while they are not warned, the rich people.’”
“The wealthy man needs your labor in the love and fear of God. Too often he trusts in his riches, and feels not his danger. The eyes of his mind need to be attracted to things of enduring value” —Christ's Object Lessons, 230.
The Tengkanos are still involved in ministering toward the poor villagers near their home, but God has expanded their ministry. He has led the Tengkanos to establish a better home. “Not for us to enjoy our life,” Ramon shared, “because the home is not our home anymore. The home is now open to anybody who is willing to come and seek Jesus.”
They have transformed their home into a center of influence, where visitors from all walks of life can exercise, spend time in nature, attend health classes, and connect with them and their staff.
They have built several guest houses and a walking track on the property, and they plan to build a gym and pool.
Some of the guest houses
The interior of one of the guest houses
Temporary gym space
The center of influence has many spaces for people to congregate.
The walking/running track
While renovating and building these facilities, the Tengkanos have been able to hire local villagers who had lost their jobs to do the work. God has been providing the money to purchase materials and for these 14 workmen and their families to eat each month.
The Tengkanos’ hope and prayer is for God to use their home for His glory, as described in Isaiah 2:2:
“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.”
Please join us in praying for the Tengkanos as they seek to fulfill God’s calling to share the Gospel with all classes of people in Indonesia. Please especially pray for the visitors to the center of influence to be open to God’s leading in their lives.
Please click the button below if God is leading you to support the Tengkanos’ continuing ministry in Indonesia.